Willie Davenport
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Posted By: Reginald Culpepper on September 30, 2005 PROFESSION: Professional Sports Player Olympic Champion in 110m hurdles. First African American Olympic bobsledder. Joined the US Army. It appears that Willie never got the message that sprinter's careers were supposed to be short, particularly in the days before professional track and field. His career spanned four Olympic Games. He made three Olympic finals, and came away with two medals, a gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and a bronze at the 1976 Montreal Games. A review of his career shows that Willie was a big meet runner. The two fastest times of Willie's career came in the Olympic finals in which he won medals. Willie just missed winning a third Olympic medal at the 1972 Munich Games, when he finished only .02 seconds behind teammate Thomas Hill, who captured the bronze medal. It was during his preparations for the 1968 Olympics that Willie won his first Relays title. He also won the following two years to become the first three-time winner of the event. Willie didn't limit his participation to the Summer Olympic Games; he was a member of the U.S. four-man bobsled team which competed at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Born: 1943 College: Southern University If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Reginald Culpepper
President, Fulfillment and Web Services, HBCUCONNECT Clark Atlanta University class of 1998 Member Since September 2000 |
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